What does news mean to NU's student body?

by jmaloni

Sun, May 4th 2014 06:15 pm

by Rachel Kocsis

With thousands of
print articles, television and radio broadcasts produced on a daily basis, the
news is everywhere we look. With evolving technology and media, there are
multiple ways to consume news through newspapers, magazines, websites and
television shows.

From local to
national media, stories are designed to shape our public knowledge and
perception of our community and the world around us. For Niagara University
students, that objective has become more difficult as news stories have become
more entertaining and less educational in recent years.

"I feel like they do
provide information right away, but some of it is fabricated and dramatized in
order to make it interesting to keep readers wanting more," said sophomore
Katie Mayes.

Brianna LoCurto, a
junior, said, "I feel like people watch it more to be entertained and to see
what's going wrong in the world rather than to really learn or be informed
about anything."

In today's fast-paced
and high-tech world, newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. Niagara
University students are relying on the power of smartphones to keep themselves
updated on the latest news.

"I read news from
websites like Facebook. It's convenient when I'm on the go, because my phone is
always with me and I'm already on it. I hate watching the news on TV; it's so
time-consuming," said sophomore student Alexa Bax.

Browsing through
media websites on a smartphone is fast and easy - perfect for busy college
students. Students check their phones between classes, on their way to work,
and in their free time, so mobile websites makes reading the news easier than
ever before with real-time updates.

News stories are
successful when readers trust the source they're getting information from.
Local and national media cover some of the same stories and issues, but many
students seem to favor local news over national news.

"National news has a
wider variety of coverage," said junior Sarah Privitera, "But I prefer local
news, especially Channel 4 News, because it's relatable to me rather than a
national news story that doesn't really affect me."

"I prefer Channel 4
News, because local news is more focused on how things affect our community and
events around our area," said sophomore Coren Mitchell.

Readers have access
to local and national news stories at their fingertips. With such a quick flow
of information and real-time updates, news stories are changing all the time.
News stations that are first to report breaking stories are not always the most
accurate as information changes steadily. For some students, the struggle to
understand what is fact and what is not influences their perception of news.

Sophomore Tashiana
Guerrier said, "It changes the way I trust the accuracy of news because new
information is always being uncovered. I think it depends on the timing of a
story, too. If an event happened a few minutes ago, reporters don't know all of
the details, but report it anyway even if they aren't sure that the information
is truly fact."

Conversely, junior Robert
Miljour said, "Changing facts doesn't affect my trust of who reports news, nor
does it change my way of viewing news, because news changes everyday
regardless. New facts, new ideas and new evidence arises daily, especially with
tragic stories like the disappearance of the Malaysian plane."

The way students
consume news is a personal preference. Some read stories on their phone rather
than flipping through a newspaper. Others prefer learning about what affects the
community rather than what affects the country. Ultimately, Niagara University
students perceive news in a variety of ways and have different methods of being
informed about the type of news that interests them.